Man, as someone who used to have to order the monthly cake, you do NOT want to go down the path of putting everyone's name on it. There's always that one paranoid jerkwad who demands his birthday be taken out of the birthday roster, but then whines when his name isn't on the cake.

I even stopped putting the month on there. "Happy Birthday, Whoever" was not only appropriate in content but in apathetic tone.

We always did a January cake as there were about 8 birthdays that month. Never added names, other than the last name.. "this way to the Smith family birthday celebration" kind of thing. Forget mentioning individual names or the month!

Somehow, I find the supermarket wrecks with all their mistakes in spelling are classier than the bake shop ones, but maybe that's due to the enormity of the wreck on a wedding cake level?

But people actually DO order cakes that say "Happy July Birthdays" or "Happy Birthday July & August"! The classiest monthly inscription I've come across is "Happy Birthday Celebrants" I do that one on a cake every month for a Toastmasters group.

How timely-- just today I was looking forward to our office birthday party, when my birthday would have been celebrated. Instead our HR lady decided she didn't give a crap anymore and in lieu of cake and a party she deposited a couple dozen bagels in the kitchen and sent out an email. So at least these people did get actual cake . . . Liz in Seattle

My WV for today would have been more appropriate for yesterday's post, but here it is anyway: dinglier. How about: Could these wreckerators get any dinglier than this?

I am deeply disappointed that I got cupcakes with sprinkles for my birthday--not a CCC wreck (patooie), but real cupcakes. And the sprinkles looked like little sharks. Just the right amount of icing, good taste, pretty color; basically all the wrong things when you are looking for a wreck. Ah well, maybe next year my cake will be dinglier.

When we had the monthly birthday party at a nursing home for the residents, the baker just made a huge sheet cake that said simply "Happy Birthday." They still got recognition without the embarrassment.

We used to have someone who ordered cake for all the birthdays. I think some of them were the generic "Happy Birthday April babies" type. Some had no writing at all. None were wrecks, fortunately - they all looked and tasted great. She even tried to rotate through several types to pick up most of the favorites.

I think she eventually tired of doing it, because probably half of the people never acknowledged the time it took to order and pick up the cake every month.

Man I love this website. It always makes me feel better about my own cakes, even the ones I made in a grocery store bakery :)

I gotta say though, Jen, that I was re-watching the Ace of Cakes episode about 30 Rock (it's hilarious and I think I've seen it 3 times), and I noticed for the "Tracy Jordan styled" cake (which had "Write With Love, Tracy" on it) was specifically ordered to be in the style of Cake Wrecks. The point of that ridiculously long run-on sentence was to say that I think it's cool that 30 Rock & Ace of Cakes loves your blog as much as I do (or at least I think they do. Why wouldn't they?!)

Thank you for always making me laugh, especially after an annoying day at work! What a coincidence, I just got invited to an inter-departmental "Jul-Aug-Sept birthdays potluck" for next week. They aren't even buying us cake!

I work in a grocery store bakery, and we actually have a lady who comes in every month and orders a cake. (I think she works in a nursing home.) Usually it will say something like, "Happy June Birthdays! or she'll just go with the classic: Happy Birthday! Can't seem to go wrong with that one!

I understand. I really do. Months and star signs make a great cover when otherwise confused or unsure. Looking at someone's file or admitting your mistake is out of the question. Asking another co-worker doesn't work either. So let's just catagorise everyone by month, star sign and (if you're game enough) birth DAY! Help!

Some of these look like something Pointy-Haired Boss would have had Alice order.

#3 Going by the 'groovy' frosting, I'm guessing the wreckerator's other gig is tile setter. Tile setters use a special toothed trowel that puts grooves in the mastic so that... never mind.

#5 I'm surprised the words 'rush job' didn't find their way from the order form onto the cake. But then, that would have taken extra time.

Why not just give 'everbody' a mini blank cake and a tube of gel icing? Or -- cheaper and easier still -- take a picture of a blank cake, make copies of the picture and hand them out with marking pens. Be sure to recycle the paper and collect the pens at the end of the exercise.

Office parties. When you care just enough to keep from ignoring people's special occasions altogether. [choking back a yawn]

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What's a Wreck?

What's a Wreck?

A Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it's simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I'm not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places.

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We don’t have any copies of Cake Wrecks for sale here, autographed or otherwise. We decided the shipping and handling costs would be too high to make it worth your while. So instead, buy your copies locally or online and then order personalized bookplates: it’s cheaper, easier, and I think even looks a bit nicer.

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